Joe Biden speaks out against campus sexual assault

By Stephanie Condon

April 29, 2014 / 5:36 PM
/ CBS News

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally launched a new government website aimed at helping women looking for information about sexual assault on college campuses, how to prevent it, and the resources available to victims.

The new website, NotAlone.gov, was launched in conjunction with the release of a report from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. It notes that one in five women is sexually assaulted in college.

"These just aren't numbers. These are our friends. These are our daughters. These are our neighbors. These are your classmates," Biden said Tuesday.

President Obama created the Task Force in January after hearing complaints about the treatment of women on college campuses. The report issued Tuesday offers a series of recommendations for addressing the issue, such as identifying the extent of the problem on a particular campus, engaging with men to prevent assaults, and providing school officials with proper training for trauma response.

As part of an effort to engage men, Biden also announced new public service announcements that encourage men to speak up and step in if they witness someone in danger of being sexually assaulted. Along with Biden and Mr. Obama, the PSA's include appearances from actors Daniel Craig, Seth Meyers, Benicio Del Toro, Steve Carell and Dulé Hill.

"If she doesn't consent - or if she can't consent -- it's rape. It's assault," Del Toro says in the one-minute version of the PSA.

Starting in May, the PSA will air in certain Regal Entertainment Group and Cinemark movie theaters, over NCM Media Networks' Lobby Entertainment Network (LEN), and in movie theaters on military installations and ships.

On Tuesday, Biden recalled the attitude he learned growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania: "If a man raised his hand to a woman, you had the job to kick the living crap out of him," he said. "I realize that's not very presidential or vice presidential, but it's something every man should begin to understand."